Rare sculpture de lohan en bois laqué doré Chine, dynastie Yuan (1279-1368)

assis en dhyanasana sur une double base lotiforme, la main droite à hauteur de son torse, la main gauche tenant un fruit, vêtu d'une longue robe formant d'harmonieux plis, sa poitrine découverte, le visage serein aux yeux en amande, les paupières baissées, les lèvres délicatement ourlées, une plaque rectangulaire dans son dos, laque polychrome noire rouge et or, parcouru de craquelures d'âge, la base non scellée, anciennes étiquettes au dos

The lohan is in good overall condition with three areas of restoration to the lacquer to the back : one 1.5x3 cm, another one 2x4.5 cm to the right side near the rim repainted in brown and the third one (4x10 cm) repainted in gold near the rim to the back on the left side. An age crack (9 cm long) below the left leave extending through the left side with some small associated flakes to the lacquer and going down until the rim and another age crack (10 cm long) starting below the right hand of the lohan and extending horizontally through the right side. Some fritting to the extremity of the fingers to both hands. The right hand slightly loose. Expected small losses to the lacquer mostly near the rim of the figure and to the stand's rim.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

The present figure of a lohan, shown seated in the posture of meditation, is a rare example of Yuan dynasty votive figures made in the complex lacquered wood technique. Attired in a simple robe consisting of an inner garment and an outer cloak, the sculpture conveys a sense of innate calmness while radiating an air of strength and deep concentration. Lohan figures, more commonly found carved in stone or wood, usually come in sets of sixteen, eighteen or a pantheon of one-hundred and even five-hundred. Generally placed along the eastern and western side walls of the main hall of worship in a temple complex, the lohan were the major disciples of Sakyamuni, the historical Buddha. Although they achieved Buddhahood, lohan remained on earth to protect and defend the faith until the advent of Maitreya, the Buddha of the Future. They are believed to have perfect wisdom and knowledge of all things, are freed from sensual desires and can give perfection to others. While lohan figures would usually hold attributes by which they can be identified, often the attributes were not integral with the sculptures, but either separately attached or made of less durable material and replaced whenever necessary.

The present example bears a number of similarities with a large gilt-lacquered seated wood figure of Vairocana sold in our London rooms, 15^th June 1999, lot 32. The two sculptures share closely related treatment in the shape of the face, the eye and the raised eye-brow as well as the realistically modelled nose and full lips. The simple and elegant treatment of the drapery is also very similar in the two sculptures; in both cases the robes provide a sense of lightness to the figures. Compare also a slightly later seated gilded and lacquered figure of a Daoist deity also sold in our London rooms, 16^th June 1999, lot 74; and a lacquered figure included in the exhibition Splendour of Buddhist Statuaries: Chinese Buddhist Wooden Sculpture from Sung and Yuan Dynasties, National Museum of History, Taipei, 1997, front cover and pp. 38-40.

This lohan figure is also reminiscent of a painted and gilded dry-lacquer sculpture of a seated lohan, in the Honolulu Academy of Arts, illustrated in Wisdom Embodied. Chinese Buddhist and Daoist Sculpture in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, 2010, p. 129, fig. 93; and another, slightly earlier lacquered wood figure of a seated lohan, sold in our New York rooms, 22^nd April 1999, lot 163, attributed to the Song dynasty.